Framed!
by TheChimeraSculptress
Summary: Marie persuades Logan to pose for her latest art project - naked!
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** Marie persuades Logan to pose for her latest art project - naked!

* * *

**_Chapter One - The Fine Art of Persuasion_**

"So? Are you gonna do it?"

Marie feigned ignorance. "Do what?" she asked casually.

Jubilee rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You know exactly what I mean, Miss Rogue!"

A little smile played across Marie's lips but she continued to ignore her best friend teasingly, concentrating instead on her latest work, sweeping a delicate paintbrush expertly across the canvas.

"It'll work, trust me!" Jubilee promised, somewhat desperately now.

That bold statement _did_ provoke Marie's attention, however, and she turned to glower at her friend. "You said that last time!" she pointed out heatedly, jabbing at the air with her paintbrush. "Now what were your exact words?" She pretended to ponder before leaning forward, platinum locks hanging down her face. "Oh yeah - 'wait until Logan's having one of his 2am broods in the kitchen and then go down there for a glass of milk wearing a sexy negligee and provocatively gaping bathrobe.' Give him an eyeful, you said."

Jubilee grinned. "And you did."

"Yeah...but I gave the Professor _an eyeful_ in the process," Marie snapped, feeling her cheeks flame at the memory.

"Well, how were you to know that he was gonna come wheeling in from the laundry room in his PJ's?" Jubilee gaped at her in disbelief. "What the hell was he doing in there anyway?"

Marie shrugged. "Said something about looking for his lucky socks."

"Lucky socks? At two in the morning? You're kidding me, right?"

"That's what he said," Marie insisted, but her own scepticism was clearly visible on her face. "Although, I did notice him raise an eyebrow whilst he explained, as if he wasn't being entirely serious. Come to think of it, Logan raised one too."

"Perhaps it was some conspiracy." Jubilee snorted. "What is it with X-Men and raising eyebrows, anyway? I even notice Scott doing it beneath his visor."

Marie couldn't help but smile wistfully. "Logan looks the cutest when he does it though."

"And we return to the man in question," Jubilee huffed. "Are-you-gonna-do- it!" she repeated persistently. "The Proff made you resident art teacher for a reason - because you are one hell of an artist. One hell of an artist who needs _projects_ to broaden her creative horizons and make her an inspiration to her students."

Marie watched her in amusement. "Yeah, I suppose _that_ I can agree with," she accepted grudgingly.

"And what is one of the main things you see in art galleries? In paintings, photography, sculptures..."

"Enlighten me." Marie already knew the answer but she liked to watch Jubilee get all worked up. It could be most entertaining. Sometimes you could even make her spark unintentionally.

"Why, the human body of course. There's more naked flesh in an art gallery than a strip club and beach party combined."

"I think that's a slight exaggeration."

"Don't bet on it, chica." Her hands fell to her hips. "And who do we know who has the most amazing body ever to befall a man?"

Marie's eyes narrowed possessively. "Keep your lusty looks to yourself!" she warned jokingly, knowing full well who her friend meant.

"Logan!" Jubilee declared. "He has the best bod in the whole mansion. Pecs to die for, abs to cry for and a butt so hot that you'd probably go blind if you stared at it for too long!"

Marie laughed. "I get your point, Jubes."

"All I'm saying is...ask him to pose for you. What harm can it do to ask? The most he can say is no and then you just try some emotional blackmail."

"Like what?"

"That you'll ask Colossus instead." Her smile widened into a mischievous smirk. "Or worst - Scott!"

"Ooooh, he'd hate that!"

"That would work for sure. And there you'll be...all alone with Logan...all alone with a _naked_ Logan...attentively observing a _deliciously hot naked_ Logan...which is sure to get him as turned on as it inevitably will you...the rest I'll leave to your imagination."

Although it sounded all very appealing in theory, Marie seriously had her doubts. "But would he pose completely nude, d'ya think?"

"You could give him a subtle cloth or something to cover his bits, reassure him that the door is locked...which, in fact, will be a good thing under the circumstances."

Marie sighed warily. "I dunno, Jubes."

Jubilee shook her head sadly. "Rogue, sweetie. You've loved Logan for how long now - _forever?_ Cried buckets of tears into my bosom every time he's gone off on one of those futile searches of his."

Marie grinned as she peered down at Jubilee's rather flat chest. "What bosom?"

"I shall ignore that cruel remark."

"And it wasn't buckets."

"Bowls then...now stop stalling."

Marie glanced across at her latest work distractedly. The almost finished painting of the Institute's sizable lake, with the forest surrounding it, was instantly calming and she could almost imagine her and Logan fishing at the end of the jetty. "With Logan it's...kinda complicated. I don't want to risk ruining what we have. Don't want to make him run again. I hate it when he leaves. And I worry every day that he's away."

Jubilee gestured animatedly with her arms, frustration sweeping across her face. "But he's _back_ now. He's been back for longer than he ever has before. And I wonder why?" She pointed a finger, nail painted a garish yellow, at Marie. "The Rogue, of course. The sweet young girl he rescued and promised to take care of. Only it seems his idea of _caring_ has changed - for the better. Logan has shown a decided interest in you ever since you turned eighteen but the stupid dope seems reluctant to make the first move! You'd think the fact that you can control your mutation would be an incentive, but no." She groaned. "Practically the whole mansion just wants you to put them out of their misery and just get it together already."

"They do?" Marie was taken aback by this revelation. Were she and Logan that transparent? How embarrassing.

"Let me put it this way, chica! We're very tempted to bundle you both into a bedroom and lock the door."

"That bad, huh?"

"That bad." Jubilee reached across to pat Marie's hand. "So for the sake of everyone's sanity, you _must_ do it. Get him naked in your studio and jump him. Big time."

Marie chewed down thoughtfully upon her lip. "It might just be easier to _tell_ him how I feel."

"How you _feel_?" Jubilee mocked. "This is _Logan_ we're talking about! Man of kick-ass action - not sissy feelings! He'd run a mile the minute he caught that _feelings_ look on your face!"

"Hey! He has feelings! We talk!" Marie protested.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Jubilee gushed, plainly uninterested. "About the latest mission, or the last hockey game you watched."

Marie fumed. "Why does everyone assume that Logan is so...so...hard and unfeeling? It really annoys me! He can be very sweet sometimes."

"Yeah - right!"

"Yeah - right, Miss Jubilation Lee! And I'm gonna prove it to you!" She faltered and shrugged. "You just might have to wait a few years, that's all."

Jubilee frowned quizzically.

"I'm talking wedding vows, girl! The ultimate declaration of feelings a man could make!"

Jubilee smirked, unconvinced. "You get Logan into _that_ position and I'll wear pink for the wedding!"

"Pink? You're saying that you would survive a whole day without wearing yellow?"

"'Any' colour you ask, babe."

They exchanged challenging grins but then Jubilee shrugged indifferently. "But hey - you won't even ask Logan to pose for you, so I can't see it ever happening."

Marie chewed on the end of her paintbrush. "Where's Logan right now?"

Jubilee's smile widened hopefully. "Last I knew, he was tinkering about with Scott's bike in the garage."

"Right. Hold this." Marie handed Jubilee her paintbrush and with a flick of her hair strode confidently out of the studio. She could sense her friend punching the air triumphantly.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two - Convincing Logan..._**

Marie peered around the garage door and sure enough Logan was working on Scott's bike, cosily nestled between the Porsche and the SUV, kneeling upon some tarpaulin and surrounded by a dizzying array of parts and tools. She smirked, noting that he was also in the most delectable of positions, that perfect ass of his poking provocatively into the air as he hunched down to tend to the back wheel.

She ran a tongue along the length of her plump bottom lip trying to visualise the same scene - minus the jeans - but quickly shook the image away, remembering Jubilee's warning:

_"...and a butt so hot that you'd probably go blind if you stared at it for too long."_

Sighing wistfully, she decided that going blind would be worth it if Logan's ass was burned into her memory for the rest of her days...

She remained lustily mesmerised a few moments longer.

"Ya gonna stand there staring at my ass all day or are ya gonna tell me what ya want?"

Marie felt the colour flood to her cheeks as Logan's unanticipated words forced her to take a tentative step into the garage. "Do you have eyes in the back of your head, or something?" she snapped defensively.

"Darlin', I can smell ya a mile off."

Her trainers squeaked upon the smooth concrete floor as she wandered across to him. "I smell that bad, huh?"

He turned with a grin. "If y'did, d'ya think I'd hang out with ya as much as I do?"

She smiled gently. "Point taken."

He frowned teasingly, wiping his oil stained hands on a rag as he stood up. "Now what'ya want? I'm kinda busy right now."

Marie slipped her hands to her hips giving him the critical eye. His t-shirt was covered in oil stains. "I _had_ noticed. Didn't anyone ever tell you that white isn't a very practical colour for this kind of work?"

"Hey, I'm not wearing one of those pansy-ass overalls," he protested firmly. "Scooter looks one hell of a prick in 'em and that's warning enough for me."

"What's wrong with them?"

Logan glared across at the opposite wall where several overalls were hanging from pegs. "They're pink!"

Marie rolled her eyes. "They're _salmon_."

"Salmon's a fish, Marie. _Not_ a colour."

"He's happy to wear flannel but refuses a perfectly sensible _salmon_ overall," Marie despaired, amused.

Logan's frown deepened. "Was there a point to this visit or was it a let's-piss-off-the-Wolverine mission?" But his eyes twinkled mischievously reassuring Marie that he wasn't genuinely angry.

She took a deep breath. "There was actually."

"Shoot."

"It's kinda..." She turned away, idly observing the SUV's number plate, noticing, for the first time, the dominance of the letter X.

"Yeah?" he prompted. At her continuing silence he reached for her arm. "Hey? You OK?"

She quickly glanced back at him, flushing again. "Oh yeah - 'course. It's nothing like that."

He looked mildly perplexed. "Then spill the beans, kid."

"Well, you know the Professor made me resident art teacher."

"Yeah, 'bout time, in my opinion."

She smiled warmly, fondly recalling the first time she had revealed her artistic talents to Logan. It had just been a simple watercolour of the mansion but to say that he had been impressed would have been an understatement - he had practically made the entire school aware of the fact by the end of the day and the painting had hung in the foyer ever since.

Curious by his uncharacteristic passion for a simple picture she had done some probing, shocked but pleasantly surprised to learn that the rough and tough Wolverine had, in fact, a secret appreciation for art. Admittedly, mostly landscape - he hated a lot of the abstract works, amusing her no end with his ranting:

"For christ's sake - 'I' can paint a fuckin' red dot in the centre of a piece of paper!"

But paintings of mountains, forests, lakes - anything scenery - was a gem in his eyes and she attributed it to his love and need of the great outdoors. If it was a Canadian scene, all the better.

"Well," she continued hesitantly. "I feel I need to broaden my artistic horizons a bit, to become a better teacher...you know...projects and stuff."

"Right," he returned, his voice questioning as if expecting her to continue.

She felt the butterflies stir inside, realising that she just needed to blurt it out, get it over with. The longer she stalled the more risk there was of her backing out completely.

He continued to watch her, a little puzzled now.

"Will you pose nude for me?"

There! She had said it! Despite the fact that her heart was racing so fast she feared it was going to burst out of her chest at any minute.

The look on his face was priceless and she almost wished she had a camera on her to capture it. "You serious?" he blurted, seeming too stunned to even add a curse this time.

"Very."

"In front of a whole class of mutant kids?!"

"On no - just in front of me," she quickly reassured, although she was quite amused by the idea. Scott would've paid good money to witness such an event.

As he physically relaxed, the relief sweeping his countenance was so intense that it looked comical. "Just you?" he clarified, just in case he had heard her wrong.

She nodded.

He ran an oily hand through his hair but it only served to exaggerate it's dishevelled state. "Completely...naked?" he toyed and Marie was sure she detected a hint of nervousness in his tone.

She shrugged, no longer feeling nervous now that the subject was out in the open. "You can cover your...er... _bits_ with something...if you prefer."

"Gee, thanks," he spat sarcastically.

Marie sighed, purposely over emphasising it for effect. "But if you really don't want to do it I can always ask Colossus." She decided it was time she played her trump card. "Or...Scott."

Logan's gaze instantly pricked up to hers.

"Although," she added, shamelessly enjoying every bit of his torture. "I personally believe that you have the most paintable body out of the three of you. Colossus is a bit too much brawn, Scott's a little too lean...but you're..." she shrugged again, trying to act as casual as possible. "...just about right."

Now it was just down to giving him that doe-eyed look that seemed to win him over every time. Oooh, she was sooooo good!

"Just us?" he repeated again, voice kinda pitiful now, and she _almost_ felt sorry for him.

"Just us," she confirmed, trying to keep the impatience from her tone. "Studio door tightly locked."

Logan in worried mode became Logan in contemplative mode. He looked cute when he pondered, she decided, and always in the past, whenever she was tempted to ask him _what are you thinking?_ she never did because he looked too endearing to disturb.

"And what about the end project?" he finally blurted. "I don't wanna end up hanging in the rec room for everyone to gawp at."

It was her turn to mull things over. "Because it's just a practice piece I'd be happy to destroy it afterwards." She wasn't entirely enamoured of the idea, always preferring to keep her work, but if it got her and Logan together it would be a small sacrifice to make.

"You'd do that?" Logan seemed genuinely touched by her offer.

She nodded, although suddenly had another idea. "Or I could always add clothes later."

"Couldn't you just paint me with clothes on in the first place?" he suggested hopefully.

"I need _skin_, Logan: muscles, shadows, contours, and all that jazz."

The groove between his unruly brows deepened into a scowl again. "I still don't wanna be hanging anywhere in the mansion - clothes or not."

Marie felt a cunning grin tug at her lips. "Not even _my_ room?"

Their eyes met and his own mouth twitched into a smile. He folded his arms, cocking his head expectantly. "Now why'd you want my ugly ole mug hanging up on ya wall?"

"Aw, I dunno. If ever you pissed me off I could use it for target practice."

"OK."

"OK?"

"I'll do it."

Marie's less than charitable smirk made way for a wide unadulterated smile. "You will? Really?"

"Just tell me when."

Her mind whirled for a time. She honestly hadn't expected him to say yes. "Er...tomorrow afternoon, 2pm?"

"I'll be there."

"Great." She suddenly felt giddy. And more than a little scared. She was going to see Logan naked! Her heart gained momentum again as she hoped she was also going to 'feel' him naked.

"Two requests though," Logan insisted determinedly.

She nodded fleetingly. "One?"

"I don't want a word of this said to anyone. And that includes that yellow obsessed friend of yours!"

"Not a word to anyone - got it!" She could always tell Jubilee that he had refused. Her excited eyes flitted over his face in anticipation. "And two?"

"I'll need to smoke. I can't sit there doin' nothin' for hours on end."

Marie burst out laughing. "Sure. Just you mind where the hot ash falls!"

The entertaining expression on his face told her that he hadn't thought of that little hazard. "Ashtray," he announced, almost smugly.

"Huh?"

"To cover my _bits_, darlin'."

This time they both burst out laughing and Marie found herself overwhelmed by such a rare event. Of simply being there with Logan, just goofing around and forgetting the expectations of their complicated X-Men world for a few precious moments.

As their chuckles receded, she sighed gently, watching him with a tenderness that reflected back from his own eyes.

If nothing else, tomorrow afternoon was gonna be fun, she concluded happily.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three - The Games People Play..._**

Jubilee dropped her hands to her hips, regarding the Wolverine from between narrowed eyes. "You are _the_ most difficult man to find, do you know that?" she snapped crossly.

She had searched everywhere in the mansion, asked everyone she had stumbled across, and had skirted the entire lake before finally discovering him hiding out at the least frequented part of it, where the trees dipped right down to the water's edge and their tangled roots made it almost impossible to traverse without twisting an ankle.

Logan sat at the foot of one of the larger trees, head resting back against the yielding moss-covered bark, strong jean-clad legs stretched out across the grass and folded neatly at the ankles. He lightly gripped a cigar between his fingers as he peered lazily across the lake and in a blatant attempt to ignore the irate Asian, casually blew out a perfect smoke ring.

"Why do you always have to be off brooding somewhere anyway?" Jubilee complained, in the mood for provoking the mansions resident Mr Grouch. "It's not appealing, you know, it's just plain irritating!" Admittedly, Marie and some of the other young women at the institute found it sexy as hell, but she wasn't about to tell him that and start inflating his ego. Especially not when she was so pissed off with him.

Logan flicked some ash into the grass. "What d'ya want? _Logan This Way_ signs to guide ya way?"

Jubilee frowned down at him. "Nope. I just want the twenty dollars you owe me."

"Don't know what ya talkin' about, Yella."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! And don't call me Yella! I have a name - Jub-I-lee!" And Logan knew that, Jubilee fumed. He never seemed to call anyone by their real names, and it really annoyed her! The Professor was Chuck, Scott was Scooter or One Eye, Jean was Red, Bobby was Ice-kid, Storm was the Weather Witch...in fact the only person he did call by their real name was Marie.

No surprises there!

When he didn't answer and instead, took a long drag on his cigar and blew out a second smoke ring, she broke it angrily apart with a sweep of her hand. "All I have to do is tell Marie that you planned everything from the start and bribed me with money to partake in your sordid little plan!"

He flicked his gaze onto her, hazel eyes clearly amused as they blinked in the sun that filtered through the tree branches. "Yeah, money that you were only_ too_ willin' to accept," he pointed out with a smirk.

Jubilee shrugged frivolously. "A girl needs accessories."

Logan glanced back out across the lake, readjusting his position against the tree to get more comfortable. "Ya don't even know if she asked me. She might'ave chickened out."

Jubilee wasn't buying it for one second - she knew her best friend too well. "Oh come on! I'm not that stupid. I've never seen a more flustered looking Marie. She's practically gagging to tell me." She frowned thoughtfully as a perplexing question dawned on her for the first time. "Wonder why she hasn't? She doesn't usually keep things from me."

Logan's smirk stretched wider as he chewed down upon his cigar. "'Cause I told her not to."

"Oooooooooh! You are evil!" Jubilee snorted. "This must be torture for Marie."

"It was intended ta be torture for you!"

Jubilee couldn't help but feel offended. "Moi? What have I done?"

"Ya like to make me look an ass in front of Marie."

That, Jubilee couldn't really deny. "Well, you act like an ass sometimes."

Logan scowled. "You kids are always conspiring against me. If it weren't for Marie I'd be long gone outta this kindergarten!"

"If it weren't for Marie you wouldn't be acting like an ass and setting up sordid little plans. Vicious circle, eh?" she teased. She shook her head despairingly. "If she knew -"

"Well, she aint gonna because you're gonna keep ya mouth shut!"

"Temper, temper!" Jubilee stretched out her palm. "Twenty dollars then, please, and I take the secret to the grave."

"An' that might be sooner than ya think!" Logan warned.

"Come on! A deal is a deal and I played my part. Convinced her to ask you to pose for her." Jubilee regarded him strangely. "Although why you couldn't just ask her out on a date like any normal man, I don't know." She considered a moment. Did she dare? Of course she did! This was far too much fun! "Although...perhaps it's a secret fetish."

"Fetish?" Logan raised an eyebrow.

"A fetish! You've heard of them, right? Something kinky that gets you going." She grinned wickedly. "Maybe your fetish is sitting naked in an open area and having people look at you."

"People? There's only gonna be Marie in the room!"

"Ah, but maybe you secretly yearn for more voyeuristic eyes!"

"Ya fuckin' crazy, kid." But even so Logan relented and pulled a rather battered looking wallet from his jacket pocket. Flipping it open he drew out two ten-dollar bills.

Jubilee gasped at the generous wad he appeared to possess. "Christ! I think I should've asked for more! What are you? A secret escort or something?"

"Mind ya own business!" He held up the money and she snatched it greedily from his hand.

"Thank you most kindly," she nodded happily. "This will buy a nice yellow bikini that I've had my eyes on."

"Spare me the details," Logan growled.

But Jubilee couldn't help but squat down beside him. She knew that a lot of his attitude was just piss and wind, a rep to maintain and all that macho nonsense. She knew, from Marie, that deep down he was a good guy; he just felt it weak to show it.

"Seriously, Logan," she started softly. "Why go to all this trouble when you could have just asked her to go out to the movies with you?"

She watched him intensely and he initially looked as if he was going to spill the beans. But then his face darkened mischievously. "Secret fetish," he confessed, before sucking so hard on his cigar that he released a whole fleet of smoke rings this time, all descending in size. Jubilee half expected him to produce a ship next, to sail through them, just like Gandalf did in Lord of the Rings.

She knew he was lying and a part of her was determined to break him for the real reason (or at least try!) but now that she had her money a much stronger part of her was more interested in paying the mall a visit than push for answers.

As she stood up she looked down at Logan sternly. "Well, whatever reason, this is my best friend you're toying with. Who pretends she is tough and strong but is actually a sensitive little soul inside. I want to see her happy and if getting together with a big ole lug like you ensures that, then I'm happy. Get naked if that's your thing, but just make sure it works because a) I don't really like going behind Marie's back and b) I don't want her getting hurt, right?"

"Ya finished with the lecture?"

Jubilee nodded nervously. That trademark scowl of his could sure as hell look menacing at times.

"Then for your information, hurtin' Marie is the last thing I'd ever wanna do."

He wasn't lying this time. She could see it clearly etched in his rough features. He almost looked hurt that she'd assume such a thing. Guilt overwhelmed her when she realised that sometimes she could be a little hard on him. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. I'll go! Leave you and your smoke rings in peace."

As she turned he called her back. "Hey, Yella?"

Jubilee clenched her fists at the name but had regained her composure by the time she faced him again.

He was obviously uncomfortable but spoke regardless. "With Marie, it's kinda complicated. I've wanted to make the moves on her for a while now but was worried she wasn't ready and might feel pressured into something 'cause I saved her life a few times, ya know?"

He had lost her, at least partly, although she found it amusing that both he and Marie had used the same words...With Marie/Logan, it's kinda complicated. Didn't that just sum up love in general! "What has this got to do with posing nude?"

Jubilee could swear that the mighty Wolverine was blushing.

"Well, I thought...if she believed it was her doin' the seducing...it would be more genuine-like. She'd be the one in control." He grinned. "An' me bein' naked might give her the push she needs."

"Probably scare her off, more like!"

His smile died. "Ya think so?"

He looked so forlorn that she couldn't dampen his spirits. "Of course not, I was only winding you up. You've got the hottest bod at the institute." She shrugged again. "Not quite as hot as Hugh Jackman's, but not far off."

"Who the hell is Hugh Jackman? Has Chuck taken in a new recruit?"

She eyeballed him in disbelief. "Who is Hugh Jackman?! Only the hottest actor in Hollywood, that's who! Don't you ever go to the movies?"

"Nah, prefer the older stuff."

Jubilee froze in shock. "Eeek! What, the 80's?!"

He rolled his eyes. "Minus a few decades and Technicolor, and plus a few tanks and preferably John Wayne."

"Forget I asked!"

As she got up to go again she was surprised to find him holding her back by the hem of her sleeve. "So ya think I'm goin' about this the wrong way then?"

She clicked her teeth in exasperation. "Well, I do think there might be more adamantium than brains up there," she joked, gesturing to his head. "Probably why you've got such crap taste in movies too."

For once he didn't throw back a rebuke. He just looked thoughtful, which was most uncharacteristic of the Wolverine.

Jubilee smiled gently at him. "I can see where you're coming from," she reassured. "And it's kinda sweet...in a weird sort of way. But surely you realise by now that Marie loves you for you, not out of some hero-worship. Not because you saved her life."

"Think I should tell her then?"

Jubilee flinched at the very idea. "Oh no! Don't you dare! This is gonna be fun!"

Logan frowned again. "Thought ya disapproved of my sordid little plan?"

"I have a confession. I lied. And you'd be lying if you said that you weren't the slightest bit excited about plonking your naked ass on a chair in the same room as Marie!"

"Ya can go now," Logan curtly dismissed, turning back to the lake.

"Although," Jubilee persisted gleefully, "It's probably gonna be a freezing cold ass by the time Marie has finished. She takes forever on paintings."

"Goodbye!"

Jubilee laughed. "I'm going!" But then she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, one last thing!"

Logan physically grimaced at the sound of her voice. "Go, kid, before I chuck ya in the lake!"

"You don't want my present then?"

"What present?"

His sudden interest was oddly cute and she could've sworn his eyes lit up with a fleeting flash of anticipation. She pulled a small, hastily wrapped parcel from her jacket pocket and handed it to him.

He glanced down at it warily. "Aint gonna explode or somethin' is it?"

"Awwww, is the big bad Wolverine scared?" she ribbed bravely although she was thankful that he seemed too preoccupied with the present to bother to fully register her words. "But even if it is, you're a fast healer," she pointed out.

When he still hadn't made an attempt to open it she groaned impatiently. "Just open it, already!"

She was already stepping away as he cautiously peeled back the wrapping.

"Ha fuckin' ha!" he barked as he tossed the ashtray down into the grass.

The extremely small novelty ashtray that would barely cover a walnut.

"Thought ya said that Marie hasn't said anythin' to ya?"

Jubilee grinned, realising that the idea of an ashtray might already have been broached, probably by Marie. Great minds thinking alike!

"She hasn't. I just know how much you like to smoke. And I doubt posing nude will stop you!" As she hurried off through the trees she called back. "Besides, you don't want to shock her straight away, do you?"

Feeling him glare daggers - or in this case claws - into the back of her head, she quickened her pace. She seriously doubted that Logan was poorly endowed - those tight jeans of his left little to the imagination after all - but one of the perks of knowing the Wolverine was getting him riled!

She ignored the little voice in her subconscious warning her that one of these days she was going to go too far and those claws in the back of her head wouldn't just be psychological, they'd be for real!


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four - With Art It's Kinda Complicated..._**

Marie slammed her bedroom door behind her and dropped back against the mahogany wood in relief. Ah, she was free at last!

Trying to teach her lessons had been almost impossible that morning and she had received more than one odd look from her young students, no doubt puzzled as to why she kept flushing bright red every so often for no apparent reason. Thank god none of them were telepathic like Jean or the Professor! If they had of been Marie would have had no choice but to get someone else to cover, with the excuse of feeling unwell, because there was no way a child of ten could be exposed to any of the images that had been flashing through her mind all morning.

Images of Logan.

Naked Logan.

Hot muscularly naked Logan, completely at her mercy.

At least...her paintbrushes mercy.

Her eyes darted across to her bedside clock and she felt her stomach lurch in nervous anticipation.

Completely at her mercy...in approximately fifty minutes!

She took a deep breath. Could she really go through with this?

Anxiously chewing down upon her plump bottom lip she ran a hand through her hair, frowning thoughtfully. Shouldn't she just be honest and tell Logan how she felt about him? It would be a whole lot easier...

Her eyes dimmed gloomily. But if he turned her down could she live with the rejection? Could she live with the torture of seeing him day after day knowing what had transpired between them? Or worst, could she risk losing him completely if her actions provoked him into running again?

No, she decided resolutely. This was the only way. If Logan felt anything for her, a scenario like this might be just enough to encourage him into making a move. Being naked around a woman _had_ to arouse him to some degree; he was a man after all! (and a particularly hot blooded one at that!).

And if by some cruel twist of fate he really _didn't_ fancy her...well...she would just paint him anyway. As planned. She'd be crushed, to say the least, but nothing would have changed. Logan shouldn't suspect a thing.

She huffed childishly.

Although if that bastard _didn't_ make a move, she might find herself throwing self-control out of the window and jumping him regardless, and she wondered how quick she'd have to be at tying him to the chair before he attempted to fight back.

With an image of a tightly bound and submissive Logan lingering tantalisingly in her subconscious, she hurried off into the bathroom to shower, wash her hair and generally beautify herself for the rapidly approaching sitting.

* * *

Logan peered down at his watch and realised that there was exactly fifty minutes to go until he had to be at the studio. Fifty minutes before his whole future with Marie could change forever. For the better or the worst.

He had never felt more anxious in his life. At least the life he had memories of. And he found it slightly disconcerting that an eighteen year old mere slip of a woman could prove to have such an intense hold over him. Forget that beautiful smile, that gorgeous body or that sassy personality; her very_ existence_ rendered him powerless. Right now he could face Sabretooth with less apprehension.

He shook his head in disbelief yet at the same time couldn't stop a hint of a smile shiver across his lips.

Only _she_ could make discomfort feel bittersweet.

Realising that he couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, he stubbed out his cigar on a tree root, stood up, rolled the cricks out of his neck and turned to set off back to his room for a shower and some mutton-chop grooming.

* * *

Alone in her studio Marie looked around her in a panic. Chair! She needed a chair! Where was a damn chair when she needed one? She hurried out into the hall and quickly scanned its length, taking note of each closed door and trying to recall the function and contents of each room.

Her eyes eventually settled on the door that boasted a rather swish gold plaque labelled: Ororo Munroe: School Counsellor.

Yes...that would do! They'd be plenty of comfy chairs in there.

Praying that Storm was in the middle of teaching a class she knocked gently and to her relief there was no answer. Hoping the door wasn't locked - there were a lot of confidential files in there after all - she tried the handle.

Phew! Unlocked!

Marie peeked her head around the door and immediately spied the perfect candidate: a well-padded, high backed chair that was positioned opposite Storm's desk. More mahogany wood, she despaired, realising that it was going to be heavy and awkward to move, but she doubted Logan would want to plant his naked ass on one of the less yielding classroom chairs.

She had dragged the Victorian monstrosity half way to the studio, scuffing an alarming amount of carpet along the way, when she suddenly heard a chuckle.

Cringing, she looked up to see Logan watching her in amusement. Leaning casually against the nearest wall, muscular arms bulging deliciously as he folded them across his equally tasty chest, he grinned. "Need some help, kid?"

"Does it _look_ like I'm having fun here?" she spat back, embarrassingly conscious of the fact that not only would her face resemble a tomato by now from all the exertion but her shower had been a complete waste of time since she was now sweating buckets.

As he quickly came to her assistance, that infamous eyebrow of his performed its usual salute. "A throne wasn't really necessary, ya know."

"If your ass wasn't so big I wouldn't need to be lugging such a big ole chair now, would I?" she fumed and instantly regretted it. Sighing deeply, she met his gaze ruefully. "Sorry, Logan. I just get a bit irritated when I'm flustered."

"Apology accepted."

"Your ass isn't big."

"I know."

"It's nice and pert actually."

"Yeah, that too."

Marie tutted, pretending to be unimpressed. "Modest man, aren't you?"

Offering her only a smirk in response Logan lifted the chair as if it were as light as driftwood, although his face betrayed a subtle grimace at the weight. "Can ya get the door for me?"

Marie hurried across to hold open the studio door, trying not to inhale like some dreamy-eyed adolescent as he squeezed past her.

"Where d'ya want it?"

Anywhere with you, she thought lustily as she gestured innocently to a cleared space at the far corner of the room, opposite her easel and naturally lit by two small skylights. A backdrop of thin red velvet that Marie had hastily tacked to the wall only minutes earlier completed the sitting area.

Logan relieved himself of the chair with a grunt. "Fuck, that's one heavy bitch of a chair!"

Marie shrugged. "You know the Professor. He likes his Victorian décor. Frowns upon places like Ikea."

"Yeah, well he's got the dough to fund his posh tastes. Most ordinary people _have_ to settle for Ikea."

Marie was genuinely surprised. "I wouldn't have thought you'd even know what Ikea was."

"Been known to flick through a catalogue or two in my time," Logan confessed half-heartedly.

Marie didn't know whether to take him seriously or not but the imagery his words conjured made her burst out laughing. "I can just picture it! The Wolverine brooding over an Ikea catalogue with a beer and cigar in some dark seedy bar - just like that one in Laughlin City!" She literally had tears in her eyes. "Sure you weren't reading one when we first met? Perhaps that was why you were so pissed with that guy - he was interrupting your sofa section!"

Logan feigned a scowl. "Want me to pose for ya or want me to turn around and walk away - forget the whole thing?"

Marie raised her hands defensively. "My apologies again!"

She did feel bad for teasing him but was also grateful for the banter because it had helped settle her nerves a little. Although now Logan was actually here in the studio and that perfect chair was beckoning, she was rapidly losing her cool again.

Logan also eyed the chair with interest. "So what happens now? Do I get a little room to de-robe in?"

"So he _can_ be modest," Marie tried to joke but the very idea of him stripping off had re-activated the butterflies in her stomach. She pointed to a wicker screen. "You can pop behind there. I'll...er...I'll turn away when you're ready to sit in the chair." She smiled weakly. "You'll also find an ashtray on the stool. You know...like what we discussed yesterday..."

Logan looked suddenly thoughtful, then a little concerned. "Yeah, right. Thanks."

When he disappeared behind the lengths of wicker Marie seriously had to hold back a giggle. It turned out that he was marginally taller than the screen and a few inches of his hair kept poking above it in its usual crazy disarray, bobbing up and down in time with his undressing like some sort of comedic display.

To take her mind off it and the fact that every movement would mean Logan was closer to becoming completely naked, Marie concentrated on her utensils, checking that she had the adequate colours for mixing, that her jar of water was fresh, her pallets clean, and that she had a decent selection of brushes and sponges.

She finally turned to her easel where she had already stretched and prepared the empty canvas. Her paint splattered smock hung on a hook below it and she retrieved it and slipped it on. Not very sexy she accepted with a shrug, but she still didn't know how this was all going to turn out. If she was just going to end up painting Logan she didn't want to risk ruining her clothes - she had a reputation for being a very messy worker!

"Um...I'm ready..." Logan suddenly called out, voice uncharacteristically placid, from behind the screen.

Marie's eyes widened and she took yet another long breath. "I'm turning away," she reassured as she directed her gaze towards the door.

"No peeking," Logan teased.

Despite her rapidly increasing heartbeat and burning cheeks his words made her smile. "No peeking," she promised.

"Comin' thru."

She heard movement. Logan walking across the room. And then...

"Shit, hang on. Forgot the ashtray."

Her smile widened and she felt giddy from all the contradicting emotions sweeping through her.

More movement. Then Logan was making his way across the room again. She could hear the chair creak as he was presumably making himself comfortable. Marie had never envied a piece of furniture more.

"OK...ya can look now."

Marie found herself frozen to the spot. Her heart was thudding nauseatingly in her chest now and her throat had gone painfully dry.

"Marie? I'm sittin'..."

You can do this, she told herself encouragingly. You can to do this. Just turn slowly, act casual and blasé, as if you paint gorgeous hunks all the time...

"You OK, Marie?" Logan sounded genuinely concerned. There was no innuendo or teasing in his voice this time.

"Fine," she managed, little more than a squeak.

Mentally composing herself she started to turn.

* * *

to be continued...


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5 - A Chair is Not Just For Sitting..._**

Marie made to turn but stopped half way, quickly turning back to face the door again. Why had she ever allowed Jubilee to talk her into this? It just felt too weird. Too unnatural. She didn't want to see Logan naked for the first time this way...

"I can't do this," she whispered beneath her breath, shaking her head regretfully and she instantly felt she had done the right thing. But she was also terrified what was going to happen now. Once Logan learned the real reason behind this sitting. Once he discovered that she had tried to trick him. She couldn't keep something like this from him and was surprised it had taken her this long to realise that.

Logan's heightened senses picked up her hushed words easily. "Marie?"

She scrunched her eyes closed. "It's just...just all wrong."

Logan's silence stretched to the point of agony. He finally put her out of her misery with: "Ya only paintin' me, kid."

She opened her eyes only to blink back tears. Whether from embarrassment or shame or something entirely different, she didn't know. "But I'm not. At least...I am...but...but."

"But what, Marie?" Marie noticed that Logan's voice had taken on a more serious edge now. It also hinted of a desperation that confused her.

She still couldn't turn. Still felt as if her feet were glued to the floor.

"Isn't it obvious," she despaired, and then became angry. "You can't be that stupid, Logan - I've seen you read books in the library!" Her outburst made her grimace guiltily but she seemed unable to react in any other way. "I'm deceiving you! This is all a set up. A stupid pathetic set up." She was aching to turn now and face him but she still couldn't summon the courage to do so. "But please don't hate me. Please don't run again..."

"I've got no intention of runnin' anywhere," Logan stated firmly.

"I'm sorry, Logan," she sighed weakly. "I thought all of this might make something happen." She rolled her eyes, anger rising again. "What a stupid fucking attempt of a seduction!"

"Look at me, kid," Logan demanded gently.

Her stomach performed a somersault. "I can't...not if...not if you don't feel the same way."

"_Look_ at me, Marie."

Marie kept her feet firmly where they were but twisted her upper body around to do as the Wolverine asked.

She frowned her bewilderment although sweet relief swept through her like a tidal wave. "I don't understand?"

Logan sat in the chair, naked...from the waist up. From the waist down he still wore his jeans, although his feet were bare. "Couldn't do it either," he confessed, somewhat sheepishly. He stood up, walking over to her as she turned completely round to face him. "'Cause I wanted the first time ya see me naked to be _our_ first time."

Marie was speechless. As she gaped at him in shock the only thing she could focus on, besides that glorious chest of his, was that one word. _Our_. _Our_ first time. That meant...

"You mean..." she blurted.

"Yeah," he growled.

Feeling her stomach tighten her eyes locked with his. "So...what now?" she asked nervously, that heart of hers starting up again with added zealous.

"This," Logan started, slipping a hand around her waist and crushing her against him insistently.

Marie let out a gasp as fantasy became reality and his hot, firm body was pressing into hers. They moulded flawlessly together, like two pieces of the same puzzle that had finally been reunited and now made perfect sense.

"An' this," he added huskily as he reached down.

Marie groaned as his mouth began to explore hers, his lips brushing across hers hesitantly, as if he was a little wary of making such a bold move, but quickly gaining in confidence as if he had suddenly decided _to hell with it!_ and his tongue coaxed its way through to gain deeper access.

Marie eagerly mirrored his exploration, her tongue just as impatient to duel, growing more daring with every blissful passing second. He tasted sublime: raw and masculine, with a hint of lingering cigar. There was also a sweetness that she wouldn't have expected, a faint suggestion of something that she couldn't quite determine. It made her think of the wilderness he adored so much, of snow somehow, of something crisp and clean...and pure.

And then she stopped thinking altogether as she simply melted in his arms.

His kiss was everything she'd imagined - dominant and demanding and yet there were conflicting moments of tenderness - even playfulness - that hinted of another side to the Wolverine, a side that could be gentle as well as rough. It turned her on incredibly that she would very soon be sampling both sides, unable to decide which excited her most, but accepting that she didn't really care as long as it was Logan.

"Oh, Logan..."

She dropped her head back as his mouth moved to her neck, running a line of feather-light kisses down her heated skin and making her shudder as he languidly tongued the shadowed hollow of her throat.

"I can't believe this is happening..." she moaned, frightened that this was all going to turn out to be some dream and that she was going to wake up any second.

Logan pulled abruptly away and for a terrible moment she was worried that she had said something wrong. She could barely catch her breath as she watched him hurry across to the door to check it was locked.

When he turned back to face her again, his stare was so intense it turned her legs to jelly. His dark eyes seemed as if they were on fire, blazing determinedly, and for a split second she honestly believed that Logan's alter ego had taken centre stage and was regarding her as if she were his prey. The idea sparked her own inner inferno and it enveloped her in one mighty surge, scorching the back of her throat.

As he stalked back towards her, he suddenly reached across, in one swift motion dramatically tearing down from the wall, a swath of luxurious red velvet that she used as a portrait back-drop.

Sweeping it across the floor he smirked wolfishly. "You might have pictured me naked in a chair, but I always pictured you naked on red velvet."

She returned a wicked smile of her own as she quickly hurried over.

THE END!

* * *

There is a more X-rated end version of this fic but I know that this site has rules about naughty stuff! If you would like to read the X-rated final chapter just PM me.


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